Six Nations 2018: Eddie Jones releases Henry Slade from England squad before finale with champions Ireland

Many had expected Henry Slade’s inclusion in the expanded squad to lead to his return from injury and add some much-needed creativity to a struggling England side

Henry Slade will not feature for England against Ireland (Getty Images)

Henry Slade will not play any part in this Saturday’s Six Nations finale against Ireland after he was released by England head coach Eddie Jones back to Exeter Chiefs, along with loosehead prop Alec Hepburn.

Many had expected Slade’s inclusion in the expanded squad to lead to his return from injury and add some much-needed creativity to an England side that has scored just two tries in their last two games, but the 24-year-old has been omitted from the 29-man squad that head coach Jones retained for training on Wednesday.

It means that Slade could feature in Exeter’s Anglo-Welsh Cup final against Bath on Sunday, although the competition is often used for fringe players and academy products to give them rare game time, but Slade could do with getting more minutes under his belt after making just one appearance for the Premiership champions since making his return.

Hepburn is also sent back to Exeter, meaning that Mako Vunipola and Joe Marler will continue the loosehead role against recently-crowned Six Nations champions Ireland, while Nick Isiekwe has been released to Saracens despite the reigning European champions not having a game this weekend.

Slade’s return from a shoulder injury – which he suffered in Exeter’s European Champions Cup defeat by Glasgow last January before England’s Six Nations training camp in Portugal – came when fly-half George Ford saw himself come under growing pressure for his place in the side after the back-to-back defeats against Scotland and France.

But Jones has been keen not to blame Ford for England’s attacking struggles this championship and believes that they lie in front of him in the breakdown and the failure to secure quick, clean ball for Ford to work with.

Don Armand is retained in the England squad (Getty)

Slade’s Exeter colleague Don Armand is retained in the squad and, with Isiekwe’s release, looks almost certain to play a part in the match-day squad on Saturday. The Zimbabwe-born flanker is likely to have to make do with a place on the replacements’ bench though, with Sam Simmonds set to replace the injured Nathan Hughes at No 8 and James Haskell likely to come in for Courtney Lawes, with Jones facing a decision of who to deploy at openside and blindside between the Wasps back-row and Chris Robshaw.

Charlie Ewels is also kept in the squad, with the Bath lock likely to act as second-row cover for Maro Itoje and Joe Launchbury, while there is still a slight doubt over captain Dylan Hartley and the calf injury that kept him out of the 22-16 defeat in France as Luke Cowan-Dickie is retained in the squad.

Jones also has concerns over wing Elliot Daly, who injured his foot in Paris on his return to action after three months out, so both Nathan Earle and Denny Solomona are kept in camp, while Alex Lozowski is also retained along with ‘apprentice’ fly-half Marcus Smith.

The squad will be trimmed further on Wednesday with another four players likely to be released to leave Jones with his 25-man squad that will form the team that takes on Ireland on Saturday – along with two players as cover for any injury – in their quest to salvage something from a deeply disappointing campaign and spoil Ireland’s Grand Slam hopes in the process, something that Joe Schmidt’s side did to England in Dublin 12 months ago.

England squad

Backs

Mike Brown (Harlequins), Danny Care (Harlequins), Elliot Daly (Wasps), Nathan Earle (Saracens), Owen Farrell (Saracens), George Ford (Leicester Tigers), Jonathan Joseph (Bath Rugby), Alex Lozowski (Saracens), Jonny May (Leicester Tigers), Marcus Smith (Harlequins) *, Denny Solomona (Sale Sharks), Ben Te’o (Worcester Warriors), Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby), Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens)

Forwards

Don Armand (Exeter Chiefs), Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs), Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby), Jamie George (Saracens), Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints), James Haskell (Wasps), Maro Itoje (Saracens), George Kruis (Saracens), Joe Launchbury (Wasps), Joe Marler (Harlequins), Chris Robshaw (Harlequins), Sam Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs), Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins), Mako Vunipola (Saracens)

* Apprentice player